Overpriced 3 Star Accommodations
Mission Ranch is rated a 3 star hotel, like many of the inns and lodges in the area, and it is deserving of this rating. But the price is a bit out of line for this class of lodging. I went to Mission Ranch based on the many wonderful reviews I read here, but found reality to be quite a bit different.
I stayed in one of the Meadowview Fourplex rooms. I paid $250 for the room ($277.25 with tax). It had a king bed, a small TV, a fireplace, a bathtub jacuzzi, and a deck with 2 wooden rocking chairs and a view to the meadow where sheeps on the rach graze.
It was very stuffy and I had to leave the sliding door that lead to the deck open to get some fresh air into the room. The sheets smelled very stale, as if it hadn't been laundered in awhile. Everything in the room was dated and a little dilapidated, including rusting fixtures, worn and dusty carpets, rusting rails on the deck, locks that do not work on the sliding deck door, somewhat lumpy bed, etc. The walls and doors do not keep noise out very well, as we could hear our neighbor fairly clearly in the morning as they were getting ready in their room and walking around on the common porch.
The deck was small but fine. Sitting in the rocking chair at night while listening to the faroff ocean waves and the frogs/insects, and looking at the night sky was very pleasant. The only problem was that I also had a view to the the restaurant, and vice versa, so not much privacy there unless you turn off your lights.
The meadow is nice to look at. But in the morning, the sheep that are "released" onto it woke me up. They make a sound that is very similar to the vibrating noise from my cell phone.
The staff are not friendly or particularly helpful, but nor are they rude. The housekeeper in the moning parked her golf cart behind my car, partially blocking my path out. She was standing on the porch looking my way while I was trying to back out. She didn't volunteer to move her cart, but I also didn't ask her to. The lady in the office didn't give me a receipt, until I asked for one. Just lapses in commonsense service that you'd normally expect and get from most places, even Motel 6. That just about sums up this place.
I would say that what you're really paying for here is to help Mission Ranch / Mr. Eastwood keep and preserve their scenic and beautiful land and keep it away from developer's hands - a worthwhile thing to do in my opinion. But if you think you're paying for superior accommodations, you'll be disappointed.
